Shinkenger Returns: The Epic Battle continues
by FirenEarth
Summary: 2 years has past since the epic final battle in which the Gedoushu had lost, all the Shinkengers have since continued on with their peaceful lives. But the Gedoushu has been revived & the Shinkengers are once again pulled into the war. Takeru/Kotoha.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Revival of the Gedoushu**

It's been almost 2 years since the last epic battle with Doukoku in which the Gedoushu had lost and its leader Doukoku successfully destroyed...the Shinkengers had since moved on with their lives; Ryunnosuke returned to his beloved world of Kabuki, Mako had moved to Hawaii to live with her parents, Chiaki went to college, Kotoha went back to Kyoto to take care of her ill sister, and Genta has since moved to France to try and expand his 'Gold Sushi' business there…though still with not much luck. The 5 Shinkengers have been living relatively peaceful and happy lives.

Whereas Takeru has resumed his role as the current lord of the famous Shiba family ever since his adoptive "mother", the 'real' 18th head of the Shiba family; Shiba Kaoru, stepped down from the role…thus, making Takeru the official 19th head of the Shiba family.

Since the fall of the Gedoushu, Hikoma; a loyal Jii of the Shiba family and Takeru's faithful mentor & caretaker for almost 20 years, has been trying to get Takeru involved in other activities like cooking, guitar and karaoke. But Takeru would have none of those, for the past 2 years, Takeru continues to train in kenjutsu and mojikara to further upsurge his skills and powers...although the Gedoushu have been successfully defeated, but as long as the Sanzu river still exists, there is always the chance that a Gedou may be revived, thus the Shinkengers are still needed.

Although he has not seen his loyal vassals in all this time, Takeru still occasionally receives letters from them, and at times, he would even write back to them.

It was a quiet morning, Takeru was in the main hall of the Shiba mansion, kneeling down just in front of his high throne, before him was a small low wooden table, on the table were a stack of Japanese calligraphy paper, a brush and a ink pad, he was practicing his mojikara peacefully.

Suddenly the sound of the familiar rings from the Sukima sensor alerted him, caught him by surprise, as the sensor had not rung in 2 years. "It can't be…" he gasped, but anyhow, Takeru stood up, the look of determination was evident on his face.

Just then, Hikoma rushed into the main hall "Tono!" he appeared to be just as surprised as Takeru upon the alert from the Sukima sensor.

"Ah…" Takeru answered as he nodded his head "it seems the Gedoushu has been revived after all…"

Hikoma walked over to the Sukima sensor and grabbed the stick that the sensor had tipped out "No. 97, Kyojin-tohou" he exclaimed as he turned to face Takeru, Takeru replied with a nod of acknowledgment and rushed out of the mansion to the destination, with a group of kurokos following closely behind, carrying the screens and flags baring the Shiba family crest.

The scene was chaotic with terrified people screaming & running away from the Nanashi-renju who have re-awakened from the Sanzu river, escaped through the gaps and are terrorizing the city.

Suddenly in the near distance the sound of Taiko drums ringed out across the vast shopping square, catching the attention of the Nanashi-renju as they stopped chasing and scanned their surroundings in a desperate attempt to find the source of the drumming sound, all the while giving all the people nearby the chance to safely escape the scene.

As the last humans were escaping the scene, the group of Kurokos carrying the Shiba flags & screens quickly emerged and hurriedly stood in their respective positions holding up the flags and screens, all the while the sound of the Taiko drums still ringing in the background.

A short while later, the drumming finally stopped and 2 kurokos pulled the screens away, revealing Takeru standing confidently, wearing the traditional navy blue hakama over white kimono. "That's enough, Gedoushu!" Takeru exclaimed "Shodophone…" he took out his Shodophone, turned it to form a brush "Ippitsu Soujo!" he wrote the kanji of his mojikara "火" (Fire) with his shodophone and was instantly engulfed in a bright red light and henshin into ShinkenRed. He took out the black Kyotsu disk (common disk) from its clutch on his belt and slotted into place on his katana Shinkenmaru "ShinkenRed…Shiba Takeru" he said as he did his signature roll call, "going forth" he then charged towards the Nanashi-renju, slashing and fighting his way around the swarm of Nanashis.

Just as Takeru was about to obliterate the last few Nanashis, more Nanashis suddenly appeared…frustrated, he managed to slash down 3 more Nanashis near him and spun the Kyotsu disk in his Shinkenmaru, transforming Takeru's Shinkenmaru into Rekka Daizantou; a large 2-way purpose sword, ShinkenRed's signature weapon. Takeru swiftly took out the red Shishi disk from its case on his belt and slotted the disk in place on the Rekka Daizantou, that instant large flames engulfed the weapon "Kaen no Mai!" Takeru exclaimed and swung the weapon in the direction of the Nanashi-renju with such force releasing the intimidating blazing flames towards the Nanashi-renju, they had no time to react before they were obliterated by the fierce flames.

After the Rekka Daizantou had done its work, it reverted back to katana, Takeru coolly slotted the Shinkenmaru back in place on its clutch attached to his belt and reverted to his normal form.

"Tono!" Takeru turned around upon hearing his name being called and saw Hikoma running towards him

"Jii!" Takeru called out, the element of surprise was evident in his voice and facial reaction, as he did not expect Hikoma to personally arrive at the scene "why are you here?"

"I wanted to see for myself the situation…dou?" Hikoma asked as he reached Takeru and stood next to him

"Only the Nanashi-renju appeared this time…but we must not at any time, let our guard down" Takeru said, Hikoma replied with a nod

"Should this mean the Shinkengers must re-unite, Tono?" Hikoma asked, with a trace of uncertainty in his voice, Takeru crossed his arms and thought for moment

"Not yet…" he said "it's too soon to decide, we don't know what the situation with the Gedoushu is right now…" Takeru then turned away, breaking the eye contact with Hikoma "if the Nanashi-renju are the only Gedoushu remaining, then I can handle it alone…"

"Tono…" Hikoma murmured in a slightly surprised tone, but deep down, he knew that it was something his Tono-sama would say…up until the time the Shinkengers were first united 3 years ago, Takeru had always done things by his own, carried out his missions and fulfilling his destiny alone, and being trained as the way of the Samurai, being raised as the feudal lord of the Shiba family. The only people Takeru ever interacted with during his upbringing was his trusted caretaker and mentor Hikoma, the Kurokos, and Genta; his childhood friend (before Genta disappeared with his father when Takeru was still young). Takeru became accustomed to that kind of lifestyle and rather lonely upbringing.

It was a case of déjà vu once again; Takeru has been left alone since the other Shinkengers had returned to their normal peaceful lives 2 years ago. But he believed that he is capable of handling the mission alone, like he always had been up until 3 years ago.

"The others are pre-occupied and happy with their lives now…I don't want to drag them back into this dangerous mission if I can handle it alone" Takeru exclaimed, with his back still facing Hikoma

"Understood" Hikoma replied and bowed in acknowledgment

"Let's go back to the manor" with that said, Takeru started walking briskly away, with Hikoma and the Kurokos (who by then had already packed everything up) following closely behind.

* * *

A beautiful soothing flute melody echoed across the vast land of lush green fields surrounded by tall mountains & hills and blue lakes, in the center of this vast land situated a spacious farmhouse, there lies the source of the beautiful melody. A beautiful young girl, looking around 18 years old with pretty naturally curly hair & big sparkling eyes was playing her flute peacefully as she sat on the veranda.

"Kotoha..." a soft voice could be heard from inside the house, yet another beautiful young woman with long straight hair walked graciously towards the girl playing the flute, that instant the music stopped, the girl looked up at the older woman and smiled.

"nee-san..." the girl smiled warmly

Since the epic fall of Doukoku and the Gedoushu 2 years ago, the Shinkengers has resumed their peaceful lives. For the youngest member of the team, the sweetest and kindest of them all, but also clumsy, Kotoha, she returned to her hometown in Kyoto to take care of her gravely sick older sister Mitsuba. Who has since recovered greatly and is back living at the house after spending 2 years being treated in hospital.

Although Kotoha relishes the time she has with Mitsuba, she still thinks about her fellow comrades on the Shinkenger team all the time, the people she had spent 1 incredible year with, the same people she has made close friends with. Often she still misses the dangerous life of fighting the Gedoushu, the life that tested her courage, confidence and abilities as the Samurai ShinkenYellow, and also as a person. But she has walked away from that life with a smile knowing that she has made everyone proud, but especially her sister proud.

However not completely abandoning her life as a samurai, like her beloved Tono-sama, Kotoha still regularly trains in mojikara and kenjutsu. The Gedoushu may have been defeated, but Kotoha will always be a samurai at heart…and as unusual as it may sound, since the end of the battle 2 years ago, Kotoha has been having these lingering feelings for the possibility of the Gedoushu being revived at any time.

That afternoon, as the sun peaked in the blue sky, unleashing its blinding bright warm light upon the serene country land, Kotoha was practicing her mojikara on a canvas in the courtyard of her house, when suddenly a wave of uncertainty and fear flowed through her body and caused her to drop her Shodophone which had turned into a brush.

"What is this feeling?" Kotoha murmured to herself, her mind was racing as she became increasingly agitated. Suddenly an image of Takeru flashed through her mind "Tono-sama?" Kotoha shrieked, afraid of what might have happened to Takeru, fearful thoughts began racing through her mind "something's not right, Tono-sama..." Kotoha rushed inside the house to notify her sister about her concerns, at that point she suddenly realized that she may need to return to the Shiba mansion, return to the life as a Shinkenger, return to her Tono-sama.

Suddenly, the sisters heard a faint rumbling sound coming from outside the house, they rushed outside and was horrified to see a group of Nanashis approaching the house.

"Nee-chan go inside! Hurry!" Kotoha shouted as she carefully pushed her sister back, she didn't need to utter another word before her sister obeyed and ran back inside the house and shut the door behind her in panic and fear.

When Kotoha knew her sister was safe inside the house, she faced the group of Nanashis with the look and stance of seriousness & determination, Kotoha quickly held out her shodophone and turned it to form a brush "Ippitsu Soujo!" Kotoha exclaimed as she drew the kanji of her mojikara "土" (Earth), suddenly a bright yellow light cocooned her and she henshin into ShinkenYellow. She quickly drew out her Shinkenmaru from its clutch attached to her belt, slotted her Kyotsu disk in place and charged towards the Nanashi-renju.

As she slashed, kicked and fought at the Nanashis, her sister peeked through the window, overwhelmed with fear and concern for Kotoha as her sister watched on

Kotoha took out her yellow Saru disk from its case on her belt and slotted it in place on her Shinkenmaru, "Shinkenmaru..." Kotoha exclaimed as she spun the Saru disc, the strong force of her mojikara engulfed the sharp blade of her Shinkenmaru as the blade glowed bright yellow "Sajinarashi!" with a quick wave motion of her Shinkenmaru suddenly a strong dust storm raged, engulfing all her surroundings. The Nanashi-renju were too weak to defend themselves from Kotoha's fierce attack and vaporized into a cloud of dust.

That late afternoon, en route back to the Shiba house, impatiently sitting on the train, Kotoha could not forget about the earlier events that transpired back home, the sudden re-appearance of the Gedoushu, racked with worry, Kotoha felt she must report the recent attack to Takeru and the other Shinkengers, perhaps the Gedoushu has once again been revived, perhaps this means the Shinkengers must re-group. But Kotoha did not want to leave her sister alone, especially considering the fact that the Nanashis had attacked her and her sister back in her home town, "how do they know where I live?" Kotoha wondered. She did not want to leave her sister, leave her home town, in case the Nanashis returns, but her sister would have none of that, reminding her that it was her duty as a Shinkenger and as a Samurai to protect the human world from the Gedoushu, she cannot run away from her fate. With much urging and encouraging from Mitsuba, Kotoha finally agreed to return to her Tono-sama and the rest of her Shinkenger comrades.

* * *

**Authors note:**

Hi! So this is the first chapter, hope you guys like it! :) Comments & feedback are welcome :)

I love Shinkenger, it's my fave Sentai series, and I'm a avid shipper of the Takeru+Kotoha, and Chiaki+Kotoha pairings! :D But this fanfic will be focused on the Takeru+Kotoha coupling :)

Also, if you go to the Rangercrew forum (a forum for Tokusatsu fans), then you might know me, I'm a member of that forum, I go by the username 'ShinkenEarth'. I am also part of a RPG created in that forum, I play Kotoha/ShinkenYellow in the RPG. Please note that I have incorporated some of my own entries from the RPG into this fanfic. So some of you might find some parts of the story very familiar...that is, if you follow the RPG that I am part of at Rangercrew :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Fire against Fire**

It was late that night, Takeru sat on his high throne with his eyes closed and arms crossed, obviously in deep thought about the earlier events that transpired, and the sudden revival of the Gedoushu. With Hikoma kneeling on a knee rest right beside Takeru's throne, he too had his arms crossed and echoing the same thoughts in his mind. Neither opened their eyes or moved when 2 kurokos entered the main hall bringing tables of snacks; Sencha tea and some Wagashi sweets. They placed the tables carefully before Takeru and Hikoma and quietly retreated back to the kitchen.

Suddenly the familiar rings from Takeru's shodophone interrupted his thoughts, he opened his eyes, took out the phone from his pocket and flipped it open…however he was surprised upon seeing the name on the caller ID "Kotoha?" he gasped, he quickly put the phone to his ear and answered "Kotoha, osashiburi" he greeted Kotoha over the phone, however there was a obvious trace of concern in his voice

"Tono-sama! Osashiburi-desu!' Kotoha exclaimed excitedly, she was so delighted to hear her Tono-sama's voice again "Genki?" she asked eagerly

"I've been fine, and you?" Takeru asked warmly, although Kotoha could not see his face however she can almost sense his smile and delight from his voice.

"I'm fine…" but then her tone suddenly changed "Tono-sama, I need to speak with you about something important…it's about the Gedoushu" she replied, almost murmuring that resented name

Suddenly the smile and warmth washed away from Takeru's face replaced by shock and seriousness, and his mind was in full alert upon hearing that name 'Gedoushu', he could feel that wave of concern overwhelming him once again "Kotoha, are you alright? What happened?"

"Tono-sama I will speak with you about it when I arrive, I am currently on my way to the Shiba mansion…"

"Where are you now?"

"I'm still on the train arriving in Sakura-han from Chiba city, I should be there soon…"

"Kotoha, I don't want you traveling here alone, I'll send the kurokos to the train station to pick you up" with that said, he quickly summoned 2 kurokos into the main hall and gave them the orders to pick up Kotoha at the train station. They bowed in acknowledgment and hurried to the station carrying the Shiba family's Kago (traditional Japanese palanquin popular during the Edo period) baring the Shiba family crest on it.

Early the next morning, Takeru, Hikoma and Kotoha were sitting in their respective positions with Hikoma and Kotoha sitting on either side of Takeru, in the main hall discussing the events that happened yesterday involving the Gedoushu. That previous night when Kotoha arrived at the Shiba mansion, the reunion with her and Takeru was slightly bittersweet…the pair was delighted to see each other again, however, Takeru could sense that something bad has happened that led to this urgent visit from Kotoha.

"Sou ka…the Nanashis attacked you too…" Takeru replied thoughtfully with his arms crossed

"Too? Tono-sama…did the Nanashis attacked Sakura-han also?" Kotoha asked as she looked up at Takeru, stunned at what Takeru had said

"I'm afraid so…" Hikoma replied with his arms also crossed "they attacked Kyojin-tohou yesterday"

"Yabari…the Gedoushu is revived…" Kotoha murmured as she shifted her gaze away from Takeru and onto the floor "just as I feared…" Kotoha thought to herself silently, they were all obviously deeply bothered by the revelations.

"How is your sister now? Is she safe?" Hikoma asked, abruptly interrupting Kotoha's thoughts

Kotoha shifted her gaze back to Takeru and Hikoma "she was very scared yesterday, I dread leaving her…before I left, I set up a barrier of mojikara around the house, so she should be safe now…de mo…I'm still very worried…I'm concerned that the Nanashi-renjyu had attacked me and my sister outside our home…how do they know where I live?"

"Mmm…this is puzzling indeed…" Hikoma replied thoughtfully "the Gedoushu has never appeared in Kyoto in decades…however there has been recorded data of previous battles with the Gedoushu in Kyoto dating back more than a century ago. Perhaps it is just a coincidence that the Nanashi-renjyu has attacked Kyoto once again, and they just so happened to have appeared at your home?"

"Mmm…that could be a possibility…" Takeru replied as he nodded his head, he turned to Kotoha who was obviously still very worried "daijoubu, I'm sure your sister will be fine…" he flashed Kotoha a warm and caring smile as he reassured her. Kotoha was quite startled by his smile, but nevertheless, she welcomed it wholeheartedly. It's been so long since she last saw Takeru, that familiar handsome face, those serious and beady eyes. Her Tono-sama is always serious and doesn't usually smile very much, but when he does, the warmth of his smile is always so prominent. Even when Kotoha was in a sad or depressing mood, Takeru's smile is like a ray of sunshine, piercing through that cloudy sky in her mind, it could brighten her mood instantly.

In response, Kotoha could only flash a sweet smile and nodded her head, unaware that her cheeks were flushing in a pretty shade of pink, and slowly tilted her head down, breaking the pair's eye contact.

But unknown to Kotoha, her infectious sweet smile also has the same affect on Takeru, at that moment deep inside, Takeru's heart was pounding rapidly, he quickly peeled his eyes away from that adorable sweet face before him "bakka Takeru! Why are you so nervous?" Takeru scolded at himself in his mind.

At that moment, it seemed like the pair were in their own little world, neither looked at each other nor talked to each other, but unknown to the other, they were silently thinking about each other.

Just then, the familiar rings of the Sukima sensor ringed out across the main hall, awakening the pair from their thoughts. That instant, Takeru, Kotoha and Hikoma looked up at the sensor in alert. Hikoma walked over to the Sukima sensor and picked up the stick that the sensor had tipped out "No.102, Mikan-jo" he exclaimed as he looked at the number and location printed on the stick and turned to face Takeru. Takeru nodded in acknowledgment and stood up with the look of determination plastered on his face, the same expression that he makes whenever there's a Gedou alert.

Takeru then turned to Kotoha "Let's go, Kotoha" he said with the usual tenderness in his voice whenever he calls out her name

"Hai!" Kotoha replied firmly as she nodded her head, with that said the pair hurried out the mansion towards the designated location, with the group of kurokos following closely behind carrying the usual Shiba flags and screens.

While Hikoma stayed at the Shiba manor "Ganbatte, Tono" he silently prayed as he watched his Tono, Kotoha and the kurokos rushing out towards their destination.

As it usually is when the Gedoushu appear in the human world, the scene was chaotic with terrified people screaming and running away from the intimidating Nanashi-renjyu who were chasing and terrorizing them.

Then, a strange looking blue yoma (monster) appeared out of no where "Kill these worthless humans!" he commanded, instructing the Nanashi-renjyu to kill the many terrified humans who were trying to flee the scene.

Apparently the yoma is an Ayakashi, all the more evident that the Gedoushu are well and truly revived with the leadership of Doukoku himself once again…as unbelievable as it may sound…or perhaps an heir of Doukoku's.

Suddenly the sound of Taiko drums ringed out across the vast promenade, catching the attention of the Gedoushu, they stopped chasing the humans and looked around frantically trying to find the source of the sound, giving all the humans nearby the chance to flee the scene safely.

Then the drumming sound stopped replaced by a deep strong voice "That's enough, Gedoushu!", the Gedoushu quickly turned their attention to the direction of the voice and saw the kurokos standing in their respective positions, with the flags and screens already held up.

2 kurokos then pulled the screens away revealing Takeru and Kotoha already changed into their white kimono, with Takeru wearing his navy blue hakama, and Kotoha wearing the beige colored hakama. The pair then took out their Shodophones "IPPITSU SOUJO!" the pair exclaimed simultaneously and wrote the kanji of their respective mojikaras, and henshin into ShinkenRed and ShinkenYellow, they both took out their Kyotsu disks and slotted them into place on their katanas Shinkenmaru.

"ShinkenRed, Shiba Takeru!" Takeru exclaimed as he did his signature stance, soon followed by Kotoha

"Likewise, yellow, Hanaori Kotoha!" she said as she did her signature stance

"The Samurai Sentai authorized by Providence!" Takeru added

"SHINKENGER, GOING FORTH!" the pair finished their signature roll call

"Hmph! So you are the pesty known Shinkengers" the Ayakashi snickered "but today will be your last day! Nanashi-renjyu, attack!" with that command, the Nanashi-renjyu immediately dashed towards ShinkenRed and ShinkenYellow ready to attack, and likewise the pair charged towards the Nanashi-renjyu holding up their Shinkenmarus.

Seeing the battle had begun, the kurokos quickly retreated to a safer place behind a nearby building and watched the fighting unfold intently. Deep inside, they all prayed for the safety and victory of the Shinkengers.

As ShinkenRed and ShinkenYellow were too preoccupied with the fight at hand, slashing and kicking at the swarm of Nanashis, with the Ayakashi watching on impatiently…they were all unaware of a mysterious dark figure that had suddenly appeared in the distance. On the roof of a tall building several meters away from the fight, a figure wearing black worn out loose pants and an old Edo-style commoner shirt, he has long black hair tied up with a red bandana and deep dark eyes, he was watching the fight intently.

Turning back to the attention of the battle, Takeru took out his red Shishi disk and slotted it in place on his katana and spun the disk "Shinkenmaru, Kaen no Mai!" soon bright orange flames engulfed the sharp blade, with a swift slashing movement with his katana, unleashed the intimidating flames towards a group of Nanashis, killing them instantly, they dissipated in a cloud of smoke.

In the near distance, Kotoha was fighting the other group of Nanashis, she quickly took out her Saru disk and slotted in place on her Shinkenmaru and spun the disk "Shinkenmaru, Tsuchikemuri no Mai!" the sharp blade of her Shinkenmaru suddenly glowed bright yellow with dust particles circulating the blade. With a sharp wave of her katana, a cloud of raging dust blasted towards the Nanashi-renjyu, killing them instantly.

By then the Ayakashi had become increasingly annoyed and frustrated upon seeing the easy defeat of the Nanashi-renjyu, he quickly charged at ShinkenRed, ready to take a slash at him with his extended arm, but ShinkenRed's good instincts kicked in and he swiftly ducked away from the Ayakashi's attack. He quickly spun his Shishi disk again, and once again bright orange flames engulfed the blade of his katana, he unleashed the flames towards the Ayakashi hoping to inflict damage to the enemy. But unexpectedly, the flames of Kaen no Mai had no effect, as a swirl of blue flames clashed with the orange flames, before both flame attacks dissipated.

"Na ni?" both Takeru and Kotoha gasped in shock and disbelief as they witnessed the clashing of both fire attacks.

The Ayakashi let out an arrogant laugh "You see, ShinkenRed's mojikara is fire, my powers are also fire based. Fire against fire, it's a even playing field, you can't kill me that easily!" the Ayakashi snickered

"I see…" Takeru murmured, but underneath his red helmet, he was grinning, "If that's the case, then that makes the battle all the more interesting!" he sneered

"Hmph! ShinkenYellow, get out of the way, this battle is between me and ShinkenRed!" the Ayakashi hissed

"I wouldn't have it any other way" Takeru smirked.

As Takeru was about to charge at the Ayakashi for another attack, the familiar voice suddenly stopped him in his tracks "Tono-sama! No!" Kotoha rushed over to Takeru and grabbed hold of his arms. Kotoha was worried upon what Takeru was contemplating at that moment, it brought back painful memories of the past when they had to battle that Ayakashi Yomotsuguri who had access to the Onibidama fire bullets…Takeru almost died in that battle. Like last time, this felt like another suicide battle for Takeru, and Kotoha would never allow her Tono-sama to make such irrational moves ever again. "Tono-sama! You can't! I can't let you take such irrational move! I don't want you to die! I won't let you!" Kotoha tried to plead with her Tono-sama to not accept the Ayakashi's challenge of a one-on-one duel.

Suddenly a rush of warm tender feeling overwhelmed Takeru, he didn't understand why he felt this way when Kotoha pleaded to him, but in any case her concerns and love for him touched Takeru deeply. He suddenly felt the urge to pull her into a tight embrace, instead he smiled at her under his helmet "daijoubu…" Takeru said tenderly and placed a careful hand on hers "I won't die, trust me, Kotoha…"

After a brief silence, Kotoha finally agreed "I trust you, Tono-sama" Kotoha replied softly and reluctantly and watched on helplessly as Takeru and the Ayakashi embarked on a fierce one-on-one duel. Deep down, Kotoha wanted so much to help Takeru in the fight, and she knew that she could help him…but she also understood that the duel was between ShinkenRed and the Ayakashi alone, Takeru did not want Kotoha to get involved in the duel…no matter how much she wanted to help him. And she understood her Tono-sama enough to also understand that once Takeru sets his mind to something, no one can stop him. Another lingering thought was telling Kotoha that she should not get involved, and that she would just be getting in the way.

The duel with ShinkenRed and the Ayakashi was intense, whenever one of them unleashes an attack, the other counter-attacks, resulting in an even fight every time. At several times, ShinkenRed managed to cut the Ayakashi with his Shinkenmaru, and at several other times, the Ayakashi also inflicted injuries to ShinkenRed.

After a while of dueling, both parties were becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of a clear winner…just then, Takeru heard Kotoha calling out to him "Tono-sama! Use this!" with that said, Kotoha quickly threw her Shinkenmaru towards Takeru, he grabbed it and swiftly swung the blade at the Ayakashi, successfully slashing it causing the Ayakashi to fall backwards. He noticed that Kotoha had already removed her Saru disk from her Shinkenmaru before she handed it to him, so he thrusted the blades of both his own Shinkenmaru and Kotoha's into the ground barely deep enough for the katanas to stand upright. Takeru quickly took out his Lightning mojikara disk and inserted it into place onto Kotoha's katana. He spun the disk swiftly along with his Shishi disk on his own katana simultaneously. Then lifted both katanas from the ground with the blades pointing upwards…again bright orange flames engulfed the blade of Takeru's Shinkenmaru, whereas roaring continuous bolts of lightning surrounded the blade of Kotoha's Shinkenmaru.

"Kaen Raiden no Mai!" Takeru exclaimed as he summoned his powerful Fire & Thunder duel attack; Kaen Raiden no Mai (Dance of Blazing Lightning). With a fast slashing movement of both katanas simultaneously, unleashed the intimidating flames and bolts of lightning raging towards the injured Ayakashi.

The Ayakashi tried to counterattack using one of his own fire attacks, but he was unable to block the lightning bolts from the Kaen Raiden no Mai attack and shrieked in pain as every limb in his body was being electrocuted by the raging lightning bolts, it wasn't long before the Ayakashi collapsed onto the ground with smoke penetrating from his body. "Why you…" he managed to gasp those 2 words, but he had acquired considerable amount of damage

As Takeru was about to move in for another attack with the intent of finishing the Ayakashi altogether then and there, he was suddenly hit with an unexpected force that had thankfully only grazed him, surprised, he took a step back in alert.

"Tono-sama!" Kotoha called out to him, concerned, she rushed over to Takeru, the pair turned their attention back to the Ayakashi and was startled but alerted to see the dark figure from before standing before them, his dark piercing eyes glaring at ShinkenRed in particular. For a slight moment Takeru could feel the element of intimidation in the dark figure's eyes, and felt a sudden chill down his back

"This will be enough for today" the dark figure said firmly, with his eyes still fixated on ShinkenRed

"You…" the Ayakashi gasped as he tried to stand up, it was obvious he recognized the dark figure standing before them

"Who are you?" Takeru asked, though it sounded more like a demand

"When the time comes, you'll know…" with that said, the dark figure disappeared out of sight, taking the Ayakashi with him, before Takeru and Kotoha could catch up to them.

* * *

**Authors note:**

Hi! Gomen for the late update, I've been really busy lately...

Anyway, here's chapter 2, hope you guys like it :) So, Kotoha was the first to come back (who didn't see that coming?), and who is this dark figure? His identity will be revealed eventually :)

And as a reference, the historical Hotta household that was used as the setting for the Shiba mansion in Shinkenger is actually located in Sakura-han in Chiba prefecture...that's why I had implicated in this chapter that the Shiba mansion is located in Chiba :)

And please also note that I don't know all the endless list of different districts and cities across Japan, and I really do NOT have the time to do the research, so I just make up some names myself for the different locations where the Gedoushu attacks! So please don't expect these places to exist, or try to understand these names, because I just make them up as I go along! XP

And don't worry, the other Shinkengers will appear eventually in the next chapter, and all the Shinkengers will be reunited finally! :)


End file.
